1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a server device and a client-server system.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, a system for providing information (content information) from a server device to a client terminal device through a network has been used. To the server device, there are connected a plurality of types of audio-video equipments such as a TV apparatus, a videorecorder, a PVR (Personal Video Recorder), a tuner of BS (Broadcasting Satellite) broadcasting or CS (Communication Satellite) broadcasting, an STB (Set Top Box), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) player and an audio device, so that content information corresponding to the audio-video equipments connected to the server device can be transferred and provided from the server device to the client terminal device.
When a plurality of client terminal devices are connected to one server device, there is such a problem that a long time is required to provide content information.
Therefore, there are proposed a method for sequentially providing content information in accordance with the time when each client terminal device starts a provision request of content information (see Patent Document 1), a method for setting a start time of viewing of content information and recruiting viewers of the content information until the start time (see Patent Document 2) and a method for performing scheduling of a content information provision so as to minimize a waiting time in view of selection probability of the content information (see Patent Document 3).
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Application Publication Unexamined No. 2004-289776
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Application Publication Unexamined No. 2004-235921
[Patent Document 3]
Japanese Patent Application Publication Unexamined No. 2002-007257
In a case where a plurality of client terminal devices are connected to one server device, for example, there is a problem that when the server device accepts a control request over content information from one client terminal device, a harmful influence occurs in viewing of the content information by users of the other client terminal devices. Specifically, in a case where a server device provides a first content information set to a first client terminal device and a second client terminal device, for example, there is a problem that when the server device accepts a stop control request over the first content information set from the first client terminal device, the provision of the first content information set stops although a user of the second client terminal device does not desire stopping of the provision, and as a result, an unpredictable harmful influence occurs in the viewing of the first content information set by the user of the second client terminal device. However, in Patent Documents 1, 2 and 3, such a problem is not expected.